Fuel cell inspection lights



March 22, 1960 w. w. wlTTlE 2,929,918

EuEL CELL INSPECTION LIGHTS Filed Sept. 30. 1957 f/ayefafor FUEL CELLINSPECTION LIGHTS William W. Witte, Chicago, Ill. Application September30, 1957, Serial No. 687,149

Claims. (Cl. 240-2.18)

This invention relates to lights and more particularly to Fuel CellInspection Lights.

The fuel tank for jet planes is provided with a restricted opening tothe fuel cells. The fuel cells include spaced baihes. lt is requiredthat inspection of the fuel cells be made periodically for anydeterioration which may occur.

teS ate-fifilt is therefore necessary to provide means for throwinglight on the various surfaces within the tank and means for reflectingthis light so that visual inspection can be made.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an elongatednon-sparking unit of minimum weight, which may be readily inserted intothe tank, having an explosion proof light adapted to be angularlyadjusted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the unit.

Another object is to provide a mirror pivotally mounted on the lower endof the light.

Another object is to provide a unit whereby the light may be adjusted tovarious angular positions and means for holding the light in saidpositions.

Another object is to provide a unit having a mirror adapted to beadjusted to various angles with respect to the light.

With these and other objects in view the invention will be betterunderstood by reference to the accompanying Y specication and drawingswherein:

Fig. l is a rear view of the light.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

A mirror is shown at 21 and consists of a frame 21a and a mirror 22which may be attached in any suitable manner as by adhesive. A reducedportion 23 of the frame 21a is pivotally connected to the outer ends ofbrackets 20 by means of shoulder bolts 24. Centrally located at theouter end of section 23 is an ear 25 pivotally connected to a clevis 26by means of a shoulder bolt 27.

A rocker arm is shown at 28 having a rectangular section 29 providedwith a central opening 30. A close nipple 31 is threaded into the lowerend of section 29 and the upper end of section 2. An arm 32 extendsoutwardly from section 29 and is pivotally connected between a pair oflinks 33 at one end by a shoulder bolt 34.

A clevis 35 is provided with spaced parallel arms 36 pivotally connectedat their outer ends to section 29 by means of shoulder bolts 37. Theupper end of the clevis 35 is provided with an axial opening 38 intowhich is threaded a handle 39 in the form of a tube.

Arm 28 and section 2 are locked in place by set screws 40 and 41respectively.

Handle 39 is locked in place by set screw 42. A

The open sides of clevis 35 are closed by plates43 and 44 attachedthereto by drive screws 45.

Mounted intermediate the ends of handle 39 is a split support 47comprising sections 48 and 49 clamped to handle 39 by screws 50.Attached to support 47 is a latch 51 by means of screws 46. The latch 51comprises a housing 52 having aligned openings 53 and 54 in which ismounted a vertical light adiusting rod 55. One end of rod 55 extendsabove the latch and the other end extends downwardly through aperforated ear 56 which is slotted as at 56a and attached to a clevis 57pivotally connected between links 33 at their other ends by shoulderbolt 58.

A perforated ear 59 extends forwardly of section 48. The vertical uppersection 60 of a mirror adjusting rod 61 has its upper end extendingthrough ear 59 and its lower end extending through a forwardly extendingear 62 formed on clevis 36, and pivotally connected as at 63 by lugs 64to a lower rod section 65 of the rod 61. The lower end of rod section 65is offset at 66 and attached to the upper end of clevis 26 by adrivelpin26a.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 7 is a view of a modied form of light operating mechanism.

Referring to the drawings 1 is an elongated unit which in the presentinstance is constructed of non-sparking material, and has an explosionproof light 1a. The light 1a consists of an upper section 2, a midsection 3 and a lower section 4. The sections 2 and 4 are threaded onto3 as shown at 5 and 6 respectively, and locked in place by screws 7 and8 respectively.

Mounted within the section 3 is a socket 9 into which is attached anelongated lamp 10. An elongated protective globe 11 is mounted over thelamp 10 and held between a ring 10a and gasket 10b. The section 4 isprovided with elongated slots 12 intermediate the ends thereof. Thelower end of section 4 is rounded as at 4a and has a cut off 4b toprovide an axial opening 4c.

Ribs 13, 14 and 15 are formed by the slots 12.

Rib 13 has attached thereto, in any suitable manner, a reector 16. Ribs14 ad 15 are provided with tapped holes 17 into which screws 18 arethreaded through openings 19 in Z shaped brackets 20.

An'electric three wire cord 67 is 'connected with two leads 68 and 69 toa plug 70. The other lead 71 is a ground lead which extends through plug70 and has a ground clamp 72 attached to its outer end. The cord 67 isxed to the upper end of the handle 39 by a retainer 73, and extendsdownwardly through handle 39, clevis 36, nipple 3l and section 2, aslack being provided between rocker arm 29 and the upper portion ofclevis 36. The inner ends of leads 68, 69 and 71 extend downwardlythrough the upper section 76 of a split insulating block 77. Lead 71 isattached to a terminal 74 having a Wire clamp 74a and contact clip 75 atits upper end, the the clip 75 being normally in abutment with the innerwall of section 2. The leads 68 and 69 are fixed to the upper ends ofterminals 68a and 69a respectively. Leads 68b and 69b are connected tothe lower ends of terminals 68a and 69a respectively and have theirlower ends connected to socket 9.

Stop lugs 79 are formed on the inner faces of arms 36. Stop lugs 80 areformed on the inner faces of the pivot ends of brackets 20.

The housing 51 is provided with recesses 81 in side walls 82 and 83 inwhich are arranged the ear portions 84 at one end of pivot plates 85.The other ends of plates 85 are angled as at 87. The plates 85 areperforated as at 86. The plates 85 are arranged in pairs and are held inspaced relation on rod 55 by a spring 92. Ends 87 of the outer pivotplates abut angled arms 88 tion,

plate 88 are adapted to straddle rod 55 whereby. to guide plate 88inwardly when pin 90 is depressed.

In Fig. 7 .is shown amoditied form of light adjusting mechanism whereinrocker arm 92 isv provided with a gear segment 93 meshing with worm 94.The worm 94 is rotatably mounted in side walls 9S of a bracket 96mounted on a clevis 97 by bolts 98. An operating rod 99 is fixed to worm94 by a drive pin or the like and extends upwardly through a guide ear100 and the lower ear 101 of a split support 102. The upper end'of rod99 is fixed to a driving screw 103 rotatablymounted at 'its upper end tothe upper ear 104 of support 102. A sleeve `105 is slidably'rnountedonscrew 103 and is providedwith a follower pin 106 arranged in groove 107of screw 103. With'this arrangement sliding movement exerted on sleeve105 will act to turn screw 103, rod 99 and worm 94. Worm 94 in turn willact to move gear segment 93 thereby rocking arm. 92 and light 103 onpivot 109.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the operation of the device is asfollows:

After connecting thev cord plug into an. electric circuit,

- `the handle 39 is grasped in the left hand with the thumb in apositionV to depress button 90; the clamp 72 being Aattached to asuitableground. vThe unit 1 is then inserted through the opening-in thefuel tank to the desired position, with the light 1a in axial alignmentwith handle 1. as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, mirror 21 in positionshown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The mirror 21 may now be moved to anypositionfbetween these dotted lines and the full lines vin Fig. 2. Bygrasping the rod 60 in `the right hand and exerting downward pressure,the rod 65 acts to pivot the mirror 21 on the shoulder bolts 24. Withthis arrangement light rays projecting downward and outward from thelight may be reilected at various angles from the mirror, permittingvisual inspection from outside the tank.

Areas of the fuel cells are diicult to inspect with the light in axialalignment with the handle. To facilitate more diicult inspection, button90 is depressed, the push plate 89 acting to move the pairs of pivotplates 8S toward each other in parallel relation against the action ofAspring 92 -and permitting rod 55 to be moved downwardly with the righthand. Downward movement of rod 55 moves links 33, rocker arm 29 andlight 1a being p-ivoted on shoulder bolts 37 tovvarious angularpositions with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle. One ofthese positions is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. After light 1a ismoved to the desired posithe thumb is released. The spring 92 thenexpands moving plates-85 to the position shown in Fig. 6, the

peripheries of the openings 53 and 54 acting to lock the rod 55 againstmovement. The mirror 21 may now be manipulatedsimilarly as previouslydescribed wherebyy the various additional surfaces may be inspected.

After inspection, the button 92. is againl depressed land the rod 55pulled upwardly, the light 1a in turn moving to axial alignment withtheV handle, and the unit 1 removed from the tank.

From the above it will be seen that 1 have provided a compact devicewhich may be easily manipulated for the purpose intended, and it is tobe understood that various changes in the detail of construction may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What l claim is:

1. An inspection light comprising a lamp, a mirror, a pair of bracketsmounted on the outer end of said lamp in spaced relation to each otherfor pivotally supporting said mirror therebetween, an ear extending-fromsaid mirror, a rod connected to said ear for pivoting said mirrortransversely to the plane of said lamp, a rocker armattached to theinner end of said lamp, a clevis for pivotally supporting said rockerarm at one end, a handle attached to the other end of said clevis, asecond ear extending from said rocker arm, a second rodfor moving saidlamp and mirror pivotally connected to said secondear transversely. tothe plane of said handle, and a latch for slidably supporting saidsecond named rod mounted on said handle, said latch adapted toreleasably hold said second rod in adjusted positions. 2. An inspectionlight as in claim 1 wherein lugs are formed on the inner faces of saidbrackets for limiting movement of said mirror.

3. An inspection light as in claim 2 wherein a second set of lugs areformed on the inner faces of said clevis for limiting movement of saidrocker arm.

4. An inspection light as in claim 3 wherein the lamp is provided withlongitudinal openings to permit rays from said lamp to be reflected bysaid mirror.

5. An inspection light as in claim 4 wherein the lamp is furtherprovided with an opening at its outer end to further permit rays fromsaid lamp to be reected by said mirror.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

